


Obvious

by Kiy_M



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2015-08-06
Packaged: 2018-04-13 06:20:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4511139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiy_M/pseuds/Kiy_M
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peggy "Master of Subtlety" Carter sets forth a plan to woo her roommate. It doesn't go exactly as she expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Obvious

Peggy Carter considers herself a woman of many talents. She is a top-notch agent and, as of recently, a successful director. She has planned and executed countless successful missions. Recently, she took down three particularly burly Russian mobsters using only her fists and (memorably) a toaster. There are very few things Peggy Carter has difficulty with. Subtlety, unfortunately, can be one of them, especially in her personal relationships.

It is a positively steamy summer afternoon. A heat wave rolling through New York has everyone tucked indoors, blinds drawn, trying to keep cool in whatever way they can. Since moving into Howard Stark's extravagant mansion, Peggy has enjoyed a certain amount of luxury in her day to day activities, but it's proving difficult to try to keep the temperature down. All the windows she can find have been opened in an attempt to allow a breeze through the house, but there is simply no breeze to be had today. The city is baking in the heat, and Peggy is baking with it. Howard has installed several window-mounted air conditioning units, but of course they've all be relegated to the southern-facing windows (something about "preserving the façade"), which excludes Peggy's own bedroom, home office, and most of the rooms she usually spends time in. Usually she'd have little problem relocating to one of the cooler rooms (or perhaps the basement) but she's in the midst of the execution of a plan, and she's hardly going to give up now.

***

The plan has been in motion since a night three weeks ago. It was the night after one of Angie's previous performances. It had been Angie's biggest role so far, so she and two of the other girls in the play had decided to celebrate over drinks, and Peggy had managed to get herself invited. The bar they went to was somewhere on the line between dingy and reasonable, but the crowd was huge, so the four of them were tucked very closely together around a small table. The summer heat hadn't quite set in yet, so it was cozy enough, if not completely comfortable. Peggy tended to enjoy the low-lit, smoky atmosphere and close quarters, and the other girls seemed to like it too, if the rate they were going through drinks was any indication. Peggy was on at least her third whiskey (it might have been her fourth), feeling warm and content. Of course, the conversation was slowly drifting into more daring subjects with each round.

"Keith was _amazing_." Marlene, the woman directly opposite Peggy, was tugging one of her blonde ringlets around her finger, heaping praise on one of the starring actors of the show. Peggy was a trained observer of body language, but she was pretty sure a child could see through Marlene: chin on her hands, gazing dreamily off into the distance. "We'd probably get twice the audience if he'd just take his shirt off in the bedroom scene."

Angie snorted inelegantly into her drink.

"I'm sure you'd _love_ to see that, huh?" the fourth woman, Elsie, cut in. Elsie was a much... coarser woman than many of the other actresses. She was stocky and powerful-looking, with an unusually deep voice. Peggy found her absolutely fascinating. She wondered how someone like Elsie even managed to get so involved in theatre, when almost all of the female roles were for smaller, more feminine women. On any other day, Peggy might have tried to get to know Elsie better, but lately she'd been spending all her spare time with Angie. Something about Angie made her happier, and she hadn't bothered to put much thought into it. Angie herself was currently leaning over to tease Marlene, bringing them close enough that Peggy could feel hot breath on her cheek (which was distracting, to say the least).

"Don't let her fool you, El. She's _already_ seen that. Don't think I didn't hear the two of you after Thursday's show!"

Marlene gasped in partly-feigned indignation, but the whole table was holding back laughter.

Elsie joined in the teasing. "Is that where you were that night? I thought you went home to go to sleep early!"

"The two of you are terrible! Geez, how about we go into _your_ romantic life, huh? How about you, Angie? Sneaking off to any broom closets lately?"

Angie blew out a breath of laughter, but it seemed a little forced.

"Not much to talk about. There's not really any fellas in my life at the moment." Something in Angie's tone is a little too emphatic. Peggy could see she was trying to catch Marlene's eye. She wondered briefly if Angie was keeping a secret, perhaps some sort of tryst? A married man? She really didn't seem the type.

Marlene slid her elbows forward on the table and nearly overbalanced. She was probably the drunkest of the four of them, gesturing too widely for such a small space and losing track of the volume of her voice.

"That's not what I meant, obviously, Ang!" Marlene said, and Peggy noticed Angie get suddenly very nervous. She desperately tried to cut off Marlene with some kind of gesture but the drunken enthusiasm was nearly impenetrable as she put on her best sing-song voice.

"How about your _lady_?"

Well. That was an interesting development. Angie sobered instantly, face freezing into a terrified mask. Elsie had begun to sense the shift in mood but not in time to stop it, as Marlene ploughed on, undeterred.

"The one you told me about the other day! You ever convince _her_ to spend some... quality time with you?"

There was a long silence. The warm, hazy feeling had dropped out of the evening and the bar had become almost unbearably stifling. Peggy desperately wanted to dispel the awkwardness but wasn't quite sure what to say. There was no chance of covering it up, now. Angie looked shaky. Wordlessly, she stood up and headed through the crowd towards the exit. It was all too fast for Peggy to say anything to stop her.

After a long moment, Elsie gave Marlene a swat on her shoulder, as Marlene's head sank down into her hands. "Shit."

"Shit is right, Marlene! You really need to learn to shut your mouth sometimes! Pretty sure Angie's never gonna trust you with her secrets again." After this, Elsie moved to stand up. "Someone's gotta go after her."

Peggy was up and out the door before either of them got the chance.

***

She found Angie in an alcove next to a nearby shop window outside, leaning against the brickwork and unsuccessfully trying to hold back tears. The look she gave Peggy when their eyes met was heartbreaking. Angie looked at her like her world was ending and she was bracing herself for the blow. A fresh wave of tears washed over her as Peggy came to a stop in front of her. The first thing she said was "I'm sorry." and Peggy was barely sure where to begin.

" _Angie_ -"

"I'm so sorry, Peg. I just-"

"Don't be sorry! Not- Not for that. Marlene should be sorry." She nearly finished off with "She _will_ be sorry when I'm finished with her." but the sentiment was nowhere near appropriate. Instead, she tugged Angie's hands away from her face to hold them in her own, letting Angie continue.

"I just- No use denying it, is there? I just hoped you wouldn't have to find out. About me."

Angie looked so forlorn that Peggy couldn't quite help pulling her into a hug. Angie sniffled into her shoulder and Peggy spared a fleeting thought for her shirt, but that particular concern evaporated as she felt Angie's still-shaky breaths on her neck.

"How about we go home? We can talk there, if you'd like."

Angie laughed wetly. The laugh was humourless, just a nervous response.

"You're not kicking me out?" Her voice was still shaking. It was such a feeble attempt at a joke, Peggy could tell there was honest-to-goodness concern. Angie was worried she'd be turned out of her home. At this point, Peggy was uncomfortably near to tears herself.

"Never. Let's go home and change. I'll make you a hot chocolate. We can sit in the library for a while if you like." Angie typically favoured hot chocolate when she was sick or upset, and the library was where the two of them relaxed after a trying day, finding comfort in quiet company. Peggy was trying every comforting thing she could come up with at a time like this. She could still feel Angie's hands shaking between the two of them.

Finally, Angie nodded and let herself be led towards the main street. Peggy kept Angie's hand in hers through the entire cab ride back, talking gently to her, and by the time they reached the mansion, she'd managed to coax out a couple of shaky smiles. Once they'd gotten home, Peggy was absolutely full of questions, but the atmosphere was too delicate between them to ask. Even once they were safely behind closed doors, settled into the library sofa, Angie didn't seem to want to talk about it. All Peggy could offer her were reassurances, soft and sincere.

"Nothing is going to change between us. You're still my closest friend."

"You don't need to keep this part of you a secret from me. It doesn't change how I think of you."

"I promise you, Angie. Nothing is going to change."

Angie didn't answer, but the tension slowly easing out of her face throughout the night was response enough.

***

It turns out this was not exactly the truth. Of course, Angie was just looking to be reassured that Peggy wasn't disgusted with her. The change in Peggy's feelings, however, was about as far from disgust as it was possible to be. After that night, the little warm feelings about Angie that Peggy hadn't been paying any real attention to came suddenly to the fore. She was absolutely enamoured with the girl. She wasn't upset about Angie's interest in women. She was nervously hoping that she might have a chance. In fact, the only problem she had with the image of Angie tugging some nameless woman into a broom closet was the fact that the woman wasn't _her_.

In the aftermath of their dramatic evening, everything was just a little bit more tentative between them. Peggy didn't want to push her when their feelings were still so raw, and anything more than friendly gestures seemed too forward. Still, she was much more physical with Angie than she'd been before. Angie was warm and responsive, and tentatively affectionate herself, but she didn't even seem to notice Peggy's hinting at all. There was, of course, the spectre of the unnamed "lady" mentioned by Marlene, but Angie didn't seem to spend much time out of the house without Peggy anymore, unless it was rehearsals or shows (many of which Peggy attended). Peggy figured she'd notice if Angie was already romantically involved with somebody. And it wasn't as if Angie was rejecting her. She just... didn't notice. Peggy was running out of ways to say "I'm interested in you." without cornering Angie in the kitchen and pouring her heart out, which didn't really seem appropriate. Subtlety, frustratingly, did not seem to be serving her well.

Peggy's previous attempts at subtlety in romance weren't exactly anything to be proud of, either. As a young girl in school she'd convinced an older boy who boxed as a hobby to give her lessons in it because she fancied him. She'd failed to mention that she had some physical training of her own. It had only come out when he was in the hospital, after she'd accidentally broken his nose. She brought him a bouquet of flowers as an apology, but also neglected to mention she'd stolen them from the front garden of a house across from the school. He'd been the one to get into trouble. That particular relationship, unsurprisingly, never went anywhere. And of course, there was Steve. Things had started rather well with them, she'd thought, slowly getting to know each other. She thought she'd been fairly clear about her interest in him, but apparently he hadn't quite realized it until she caught him kissing another woman and responded with a shower of bullets. That, truly, was her problem. She'd shed the social clumsiness of her youth, but she was still stuck in a pattern. A long, slow set of tiny gestures, working towards expressing her interest, before frustration took over and she overreacted hugely. With Steve it had seemed to work, she reflected, somewhat sadly. In that one fleeting moment amidst the chaos of war, they had something. It still hurt, but she was moving on, day by day.

She didn't think bullets was quite the right idea with Angie, though.

And this, truly, was where her plan was conceived. Up to this point, Peggy's idea of subtlety was making the smallest gesture possible that still got noticed. This might have worked if she'd been more elegant about it, but as it was, she had to rethink. She kept aiming for subtle and ending up with unnoticeable. At this point, it almost seemed as if the best plan was to aim to be as glaringly obvious as possible about her feelings, without actually outright saying them, as it were. This time, she couldn't fall back into tiny hints indefinitely, always wondering when she'd finally break and do something rash. She was going to start big.

The final showing of Angie's current production was running the following Friday. It was a small production, and a small theatre, but even then it was barely half full. Nobody's glamorous right from the get-go, Angie had told her. You gotta start small. Prove yourself. Then it'll all fall into place! The crowd that night was mixed, a couple of large families, one severe-looking woman constantly shushing her children. An older gentleman near the front seemed to have forgotten his handkerchief if his constant sniffing was anything to go by. A few other patrons were scattered about in the seats, mostly paying attention but some looking unenthused. Peggy stood out like a sore thumb, third row centre, dressed immaculately and holding a lavish bouquet of flowers (which she'd gone to the trouble of actually purchasing), eyes fixed forward on the production. Angie wasn't in one of the lead roles, but she still had a reasonably large amount of lines, and despite the level of the production she put her whole self into her performance. Peggy was not missing a single moment of this opportunity to watch Angie doing the thing she loved.

It was worth it when she visited backstage at the end of the show and she got to watch Angie's struggle to decide between flattery and embarrassment as Peggy handed her the bouquet of flowers.

"Peggy! I- You didn't need to dress up!" She was red in the face but smiling. Angie clearly knew that Peggy was making a spectacle a bit out of proportion for a secondary part in a tiny production but she couldn't quite bring herself to mind.

"Nonsense. You were brilliant, by the way." Peggy leaned in to smack a lipsticky kiss to Angie's cheek, making her laugh. "Celebratory dinner tomorrow? My treat." Peggy had made reservations in advance, days ago, but kept it to herself. She could tell she was walking a fine line, especially as she hadn't leaned very far back and she was a little closer to Angie than propriety might dictate.

"Thanks, English. That sounds great."

***

It only got more obvious from there. They took to spending evenings together in the common rooms, almost always. Every time Angie responded positively, Peggy became less and less reserved. They'd spent nearly an hour reading together on the library sofa, holding hands the entire time. Peggy became particularly free about cheek kisses, to the point that she'd even managed to get one in return (which she was privately thrilled about for the whole day afterward). On one memorable night she carried Angie to bed after she'd fallen asleep on the sofa. She put songs on the radio and let them filter through the house, some bright and happy, some slow and romantic. She'd even tugged Angie into an impromptu slow waltz across the living room carpet.

But now, somehow neither of them wants to disturb the careful balance by taking that one last step.

By the time the heat wave rolls over New York and Angie is starting rehearsals for her next show, Peggy is getting desperate. At this point, she is nearly certain that Angie returns at least some of her feelings. The heat's inspired her to take a slightly different approach.

She's currently slumped across her bed, stripped nearly to her underthings, with a button-up shirt only half-on. To the casual observer, she would seem to be partway through undressing. The look is entirely deliberate. She's also carefully left her bedroom door open just a few inches. She's been in this exact state of dress for nearly twenty minutes, waiting. Timing is also occasionally not her strong suit.

Finally (finally!) she hears the front door shut, and a series of light footsteps coming down the hallway. She stands and moves closer to the doorway.

"Hello? Peg, you home?"

Peggy pauses in the mirror and tugs the shirt down off her left shoulder as she responds.

"Welcome home, Angie! How was your rehearsal?"

Angie's still at the far end of the hallway, but Peggy can hear her groan of frustration perfectly.

"Terrible! The heat's just awful today, isn't it? I can't believe we went through with the whole rehearsal. I'm pretty sure Monica nearly passed out. She's the one I told you about, who plays the mean old aunt, remember? Has to spend all that time rushing back and forth on stage, and the director made her do the whole thing! In this heat!"

Angie must have left her shoes at the door because Peggy can't hear her footsteps. Thankfully Angie's an unrepentant chatterbox, so Peggy can track her progress down the hallway by her voice.

"Wouldn't let her do her lines standing still or anything! Hell, I'm pretty sure I nearly passed out and I'm a bedridden invalid in this one."

She's rounding the corner now and Peggy knows in a couple of seconds the sightline between her and Angie will be perfectly clear. She's standing, back facing the door, hands up to tug her hair into a rough ponytail. The position leaves her left shoulder and upper back nearly bare, and the remainder of the shirt falling low over her back (but not so far as to cover up the curve of her hips).

"It's a real quality production, though. Everyone's really working hard on it. I think it's really gonna be a great show this time. Just hope it cools down-"

There it is. The falter in Angie's voice that Peggy's been hoping for. She cocks her head to the side as she finishes tying off her ponytail.

"Hmm?"

"-Uh. Before we have to use the stage lights."

Angie's already picked up where she left off and is moving towards her own bedroom door. Peggy sighs and finally pulls her shirt off the whole way, moving to her closet to get out something a little more appropriate for the weather.

"What're you planning on doing for the rest of the afternoon?" Angie calls over. Their bedrooms are adjacent to each other so it's not hard to keep up a conversation while dressing. Peggy pulls a light summer dress over her head.

"I was thinking of relaxing in the back parlour. Howard has one of those air conditioning units installed there. I thought I might sit in front of it for a while. We could listen to the radio, if you'd like to join me?"

"Sounds _amazing_. Let me just get out of these gross sweaty clothes"

Peggy smiles to herself. This particular effort may not have gone exactly as well as she'd hoped, but she can't help but feel slightly accomplished. Admittedly this is the first time she's ever put together a conscious effort to seduce her roommate, but she's never been one to shy away from a challenge. Still, she was hoping Angie might walk straight into her room, into her arms. Tug that shirt the rest of the way off. She might have spent the better part of yesterday evening imagining it, in somewhat excessive detail.

When she finally wanders out into the hallway, Angie is already waiting for her there, leaning against the wall and smiling. She offers a hand.

"Let's go! Which room are we going to, again?"

"The back parlour."

"Okay. Uh, which one is that? I swear I still get lost around here sometimes."

"The one with the upright piano and the hideous fireplace. Remember?"

They make their way through the house slowly, chatting the entire way. To Peggy's utter delight, Angie holds her hand the entire way, despite the heat.

***

The heat finally breaks that night with a torrential rainstorm. They spent the better part of the afternoon still cooling off in front of the air conditioner but finally got up for dinner. Peggy's halfway finished doing the dishes when the sky opens up and they both have to go running through the house shutting all the large windows to keep the rain from soaking the carpets. Peggy doesn't mind a bit of damp furniture if they forgot one, but she made sure the documents on her desk are safe. They meet back in the middle, breathless and laughing, and neither is quite sure whether they forgot an important room.

Angie leans in close. She looks almost like she's about to say something important, but backs off at the last moment. Finally, she looks up at Peggy. Peggy's only just caught her breath from all the running, but the look Angie's giving her takes her breath away in an entirely different way. "Do you want to come watch the lightning with me?" She asks. Peggy nods.

As it turns out, the window in Angie's bedroom is a large bay window with an small opening that's angled away from the rain. It's absolutely perfect for soaking in the atmosphere of the rainstorm, watching the flashes across the sky and hearing the claps of thunder. They lie down on the long seat near the window, leaning against single plush pillow. It's easily big enough for the both of them, but they still stay close together in the middle. The air's cooled down so much that Peggy doesn't feel at all bad curling up for warmth, pressing against Angie's side, one arm across her waist.

It's when they're lying like this, warm and happy and _together_ , that Angie finally breaks the interminable détente.

"You know, Peggy. You shouldn't- You don't have to keep doing this."

She sounds resigned, and a little sad. Peggy is suddenly worried. "...This?"

Angie goes on without needing encouragement.

"You're really something, Peggy. You've been really, really patient with me these past few weeks. And kind. And I get it. I really do. I wasn't expecting it, but I get it. I don't know what I was expecting when you found out about me. I already knew you were a great person, but accepting something like that... It's a bit much to ask for, even from somebody that great."

Peggy is still not entirely sure where Angie is going, but when the pause lengthens, she speaks.

"Truly, it's not. What kind of a person would I be if I was upset with you for something like that? You're, well... You're my best friend." Maybe you're something more? She can't bring herself to say it. Angie finally continues.

"Anyway, I don't know what I was expecting, but you were better than I could have ever dreamed about. It's like you promised. It really didn't change anything, did it? But that's the thing, Peggy. I _know_. I know you're not upset with me. You don't have to keep trying to convince me."

Oh.

Throughout all this, Peggy's never quite entertained the thought that all her overtures could have been misinterpreted. She worries briefly that Angie is just trying to let her down gently, but she's starting to understand what's actually going on.

"The theatre girls do it too, you know. I love 'em for it, but I can tell. Theatre's the first place I ever found where nobody seemed to mind if I'm... well, queer."

It's the first time she's actually said the word. Somehow everything seems just that little bit further out in the open. Peggy is glad Angie finally feels like she doesn't have to hold her tongue, but it's bittersweet because this feels like the breakup to a relationship she never got to enjoy.

"Out in the world, people have the tiniest suspicion and they stop talking to me. They won't touch me, even to shake my hand. When I finally found a group of people who didn't mind, they really wanted to prove they were OK with it. I means a lot to me but sometimes they... overcompensate."

Angie shoots Peggy a pointed look, before adding "They get huggy. Marlene did it. We were friendly, before, but since she found out she's been almost unbearable. She's so... touchy."

Peggy can't hold back the flush of mild embarrassment. She has gotten very, very affectionate with Angie lately. She was so sure Angie was OK with it, but however unbearable Marlene got, Peggy can only have been worse. She thinks it might be good to apologize, but she's not sure she can do it with a steady voice right about now. She frowns, and self-consciously starts to withdraw the arm she left wrapped around Angie's waist.

Angie sees the look on her face and drags the arm back, holding it there.

"Don't get me wrong, English. I don't mind when it's you." It's a small relief to hear it, and Angie punctuates her point by shifting a little closer to Peggy, resting her head on Peggy's shoulder. "I just don't want you to feel like you need to force yourself to do all this just to make me feel better." she finishes.

How is it possible that throughout all this, Angie just thinks she's being... supportive? It doesn't seem possible. She spent weeks dancing around the subject, trying to say it without saying it, but the entire time she was trying to say "I want you" and all Angie heard is "I don't want to kick you out of the house."

She's going to have to come out with it. It's the only step left.

"Angie... I- well, I wasn't..." Not a good start. Pull it together, Carter. For god's sake, you're the director of an international spy agency.

"I wasn't overcompensating. It's true, that night, when everything came out, I spent a few days just... trying to make sure you were alright. But I'm not trying to convince you of anything... The truth is, well."

Deep breaths.

"I thought there might be a chance."

That's not nearly clear enough. How is it that something like this is so hard to say?

"I thought you might... be interested. In me." Peggy finishes. That's it. It couldn't possibly be misinterpreted. It feels marvellous to have finally said it, but her breath's still shaky with nerves. Angie is completely silent, and her head is resting low on Peggy's shoulder where she can't see her face. Peggy suddenly feels the need to clarify.

"If you don't it's not a problem! I know Marlene said you were already interested in someone... Your _lady_. I don't know if she was telling the truth, since we never talked about it. If you have someone already or if you're not interested-"

Angie sits up so suddenly she nearly knocks Peggy off the seat.

"Really? Are you serious?"

She turns to prod Peggy sharply in the chest with a finger. "This entire time, you were trying to- to _charm_ me?"

"To win your heart." Peggy says, softly. She wishes immediately that she could take it back because it sounds _especially_ silly. At this, Angie opens and closes her mouth like she can't quite figure out what to say. The hand she used to poke Peggy unfurls to rest against her collarbone.

"I didn't even realize... You're crazy, you know that, Peggy Carter?" It's not exactly a declaration of love, but Angie is smiling like she can't quite hold it in and she pitches forward into Peggy's arms, burying her face in her neck.

"A total lunatic." she finishes, fitting her arms tightly against Peggy's sides. It feels like a "yes". The dam's broken, and relief is washing over Peggy in waves. She finally wraps her arms around Angie's back and holds her there.

After a long moment, Angie backs up far enough to see Peggy's eyes. She's beaming. It's definitely a "yes". By now Peggy is used to intense eye contact but it occurs to her this time she could probably just reach up and kiss Angie, no consequences. In fact, she's pretty sure that Angie might be about to do just that, until she speaks.

"There was never any other lady, English. One night, a couple weeks before we went out, I had a bit too much to drink and told Marlene I couldn't stop thinking about a girl, but I couldn't say anything to her. Because, well. We lived together."

Peggy laughs aloud. "So, I'm your lady, am I?" She doesn't realize how it sounds until after she's said it. Angie moves to look her in the eye.

"Do you want to be my lady?"

Peggy rests a hand against the side of Angie's face and nods. She doesn't want to push, so they sit there for a while, eyes locked, and barely inches apart. When the anticipation becomes unbearable, Peggy asks "May I?". She's pretty sure her intentions are very clear.

Angie doesn't bother answering, just leans forward into a kiss, pressing Peggy's head down into the pillow. It's not a sensual kiss, but it's warm and soft, and Angie holds it for a long time before backing off, taking a quick breath and diving straight back in for more. Peggy, of course, immediately forgets what she should be doing with her hands. After a paralysing moment of mid-air indecision she settles them on Angie's waist. It turns out to be the right choice, as Angie hums happily into her mouth.

As they finally pull away, Angie pillows her head on Peggy's chest. The silence, this time, is warm and comfortable. They're going to need to talk about this eventually, but Peggy isn't quite sure where to start. She doesn't want to break this moment between them by saying something trite. After a couple of moments groping around in her mind for something momentous enough for the conversation, Angie beats her to it.

"Peg. Did you leave your door open on purpose, earlier today?"

Shit. Peggy flushes. Somehow, in the aftermath, she doesn't relish the idea of admitting quite how ridiculous her plan got. Her knee-jerk reaction is feigned ignorance.

"My door? What are you talking about?"

Angie isn't buying it. Peggy frowns, putting a hand to her temple.

"Alright, yes. I did. I'm sorry. I was... trying to elicit a particular response."

She's expecting to be scolded, but Angie's shoulders are shaking with laughter. She moves her hands to frame Peggy's face, still giggling, coaxing Peggy's smile back out.

"I can't believe it. You wanted me to look, huh? And here I was being all respectful. Don't gawp at your roommate, Angie! Even if she is half-naked and _gorgeous_. I barely got a glance."

"I wouldn't be opposed to the idea of giving a repeat performance." Peggy responds. She can't help but imagine it now, letting Angie see more and more of her until there's nothing left between them but skin. Angie's not laughing anymore. The look they share is heated, and Angie's moved so her thumb is rubbing tiny circles on Peggy's cheek.

"Why didn't you just _say something_?" Angie finally asks. It's raw and open and a little bit hurt. This, Peggy knows, is the core of the frustration between them. She feels guilty for her convoluted plan. She knows now she was never really doing it to keep Angie from feeling pressured. She's just been a coward.

"I was afraid. If you didn't want me, well... I don't know what I would do if you left." And if she blinks a little too much and her throat bobs along with the tiny waver in her voice, she's sure Angie won't notice. It can't be that obvious.

Angie notices right away. She gives Peggy a reassuring, soft kiss on the forehead.

"I ain't going anywhere. You want me, you got me. OK?"

Peggy drags her back into another kiss, a little more enthusiastic this time as she finds her confidence. It's just getting good when Angie interrupts with a huff of laughter.

"I'm gonna have to send Marlene a thank you card for opening her big mouth."

Frustrated with the interruption, Peggy rolls them enough that she can pin Angie down and get a few more kisses in.

"I'm going to send Marlene a card to tell her to keep her _hands_ off my girl." she mumbles. She immediately regrets it when she has to stop what she's doing until Angie stops laughing. Eventually she just moves to kiss Angie's neck and cheeks, which only makes her squirm and laugh harder. It's such an adorable picture that Peggy can't help but join in, and the two of them end up sprawled out next to each other, desperately trying to catch their breath between gales of laughter. When they finally calm down, Peggy shivers. The window next to them is still open, and the cool breeze is a sobering reminder than it's getting late, and Peggy needs to be in bright and early the next morning.

"Angie, darling. It's been a fantastic evening but I am going to need to go to sleep soon." She doesn't want to leave just yet. She wonders if it would be too forward to invite Angie into her room to sleep next to each other. Angie looks hesitant, like maybe she's contemplating the same thing. She stands up and backs up a little bit so Angie can get up too.

"I don't wanna push you too fast, Peg, but... You could stay in here tonight, if you want." Her voice is hopeful. It's exactly what Peggy was hoping for, as well. She grins and shoves Angie gently. "Hm. I'm not sure, I'll have to think about it. Do you snore?"

Angie huffs indignantly and shoves her back with a little more force, but Peggy catches her arms and tugs until they're pressed close again.

"Let me just wash up and get changed. I'll be back in a moment."

Angie lets her go with a kiss on the nose.

"Hurry back, English! I'll get cold without you!"


End file.
